The U.S. Open began Thursday without three-time champion Tiger Woods, who will sit out the tournament for the first time since 1994, due to injuries to his left knee and left Achilles tendon. Woods's golf game has yet to return to winning form since the sex scandal that led to his 2010 divorce. Still, his absence is disappointing fans, and threatening to hammer the Open's TV ratings. Is golf worth watching when Tiger Woods isn't on the course?
It won't be the same without Tiger: Face it, says Tony Manfred at Business Insider. Without Tiger, golf "lacks a transcendent athlete," "a crossover star who forces the mainstream to care about the outcome of a golf tournament." When he's on the links, you've got all the "good/evil, favorite/underdog dichotomies that are such a huge part of following sports." Without him, all you've got is a bunch of guys playing golf.
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